Baby steps are being taken to keep kids safe at Barrie elementary schools with an adult crossing guards program.
Sitting as community safety committee, city councillors approved a motion June 21 that staff investigate the feasibility of implementing an adult crossing guard program in Barrie, including costs and staffing requirements, that staff contact both school boards concerning assistance or partnerships, and report back to council’s general committee.
“How do we help parents feel that their children are safe walking to and from school, when we are aware of how dangerous our streets have become?” asked Barrie mother Tannis McCarthy, a secondary school teacher with Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board in Bradford, who made an open delegation to committee supporting the program.
“While the city is doing a good job of putting in traffic calming measures, some of these are blatantly ignored by drivers,” she said. “And a sign, paint or camera cannot pull a child out of harm’s way, nor can they guide a child across a busy intersection.”
McCarthy said near-misses, increasing traffic, distracted and inexperienced drivers, speeding, congestion at school drop-off/pick-up locations, illegal parking and poorly placed pedestrian crossing lights are other reasons why the program is needed.
McCarthy initiated a petition last May asking for guards in Barrie to help keep children safe. As of Monday afternoon, it had 1,119 signatures.
Mayor Alex Nuttall had originally asked that $100,000 be designated from the city’s strategic initiatives fund for as many as five schools in a pilot project, for one year only, for adult crossing guards.
“We know that our city was built in such a time that there’s broad roads that create fast traffic and a very difficult time for children and even for motorists,” he said
It would have included city staff contacting the school boards to see if they would participate in this program.
But Michael Prowse, the city’s chief administrative officer, suggested the approach which was eventually approved. He said organization needs to be considered, as the city would in effect be creating a new department.
Involving the school boards also needs to be considered, the CAO said.
“In fairness, I believe we’ve had this conversation historically with the school board,” Prowse said. “They’re very supportive of a program, however they’re not in a position to fund a program, so I think that probably will be a short conversation.”
There was little question among committee members, however, for the need to have adult crossing guards.
“It’s only getting worse. People are speeding more, they’re more addicted to their cellphones,” said Coun. Sergio Morales, the committee's chairman. “This doesn’t happen without the school boards’ help, support, funding, partnership, whatever word you want to use.”
He asked residents to speak with school board trustees and administrators to push the point.
McCarthy said she just wants the city to be proactive on adult crossing guards, not reactive, so that people feel safe.
“I’m not asking you to hike taxes for this program and I’m not asking you to have it in place tomorrow,” she said. “I’m asking you to say yes to the program and, if need be, put it in place over time. I’m asking for you to make the safety of children a priority.
“So many residents I spoke to said it’s only a matter of time before something terrible happens, given what they have seen or experienced," McCarthy added.
McCarthy has said adult school crossing guards can direct children with more authority than youth crossing guards, have the authority to carry a stop sign, can help report violations that impose fines, can assist in an emergency and give parents greater confidence.
McCarthy has asked the city to implement an adult crossing guard program gradually and increase locations incrementally. It could start with the most essential locations, as warranted by the Ontario Traffic Council’s Crossing Guard Guide. Guards would not be at every elementary school, just where warranted.
In 2015, city council looked at having crossing guards at Barrie’s elementary schools in 2017, at a cost of $650,000. It was not approved.
McCarthy doesn’t have numbers for Barrie now but noted Guelph, a comparator for Barrie in terms of population and number of schools, has a program for $497,000 annually.
The Simcoe County District School Board has 25 elementary schools and five secondary schools in Barrie, while the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board has 13 elementary schools and three high schools in Barrie.
